


Crystal of Time

by AtuaPraise



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23094985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtuaPraise/pseuds/AtuaPraise
Summary: That day... Eldia received a grim reminder. Gazing up at the herald of death, in our hearts we knew the world was a cage, Eldians cattle.Aka an alternate timeline in which the Fritz family never stole the memory of the Eldans. What has changed? Who will win?This story is based off canon evidence up until the end of the attack on Liberio, so there may be light manga spoilers.Brace yourself kiddos, they ain't safe.
Relationships: none yet
Kudos: 9





	1. Shinganshina

By the time they reached the wall, the girl had all but fainted.

The Female Titan's muscular curves flew by the meadows, the lush, green grass and near unnaturally tall trees. Her lazy smile stuck to her face like glue, and yet Bertholdt could see she was in agony. This torturous sprinting had lasted close to two hours and every bone in her legs must have been broken, twisted or sprained. Thick plumes of steam emitted from her thighs, but her pace never faltered, her feet did not still. Not once.

And then, only then did they reach the gargantuon gate. Annie was so close to it that Reiner (who was situated on her right shoulder) could reach out and touch it. When the blonde at last emerged from the beast's nape, exhasted tears began to fall from her crimson cheeks. Strands of golden hair and loose-fitting garb clung to her salty skin. She glistened in the luscious sun like a prized jewel.

She fell back, about to plummet, but Reiner snatched her up in his muscular arms and hoisted her onto the titan's melting shoulder. The man's eyes narrowed into little slits and his brow furrowed with concern, yet he still looked up at Bertholdt with that signature look of sheer determination. The picture of them both, the stunning fairytale couple - a strong prince swooping in to rescue his besutiful princess - made Bertholdt twinge with jeaousy despite himself.

The two men locked eyes and the taller steeled himself for what was come. That look must have wormed it's way onto his face, one of fear and doubt, as Reiner placed a supportive hand on his arm. "It's the only way in."

(Sounds like Marcel)

Bertholdt blinked back the sudden pang in his head, brought a hand to his mouth and ripped sharp canines into soft flesh. Lightning crackled whilst Bertholdt held a breath.

His consciousness floated between worlds, his body stretched and constricted as his skin mekted off. The searing agony lasted until he rested a red handon concrete. Gazing out at the district, he couldn't help but feel pity for the victims of his wrath.

Bertholdt took a single moment to remember their faces, honouring the future victims, when he grsvitated towards a single boy, one he felt a distant longing for.

lookin up at him in a mixture of fear, dread and awe. Clutching a leather-bound book, azure coat streaked with muck. Had that boy ever looked so lonely before?

\-----

Sina's interior - 4 hours later

Perched precariously on a balcony, a small man gazed out on the rolling hills of Sina. The chilled night air swirled around his chiselled face. His military coat, emblazoned with a sea green unicorn, hung from the back of an armchair along with the dark brown straps of the common soldier.

"Corporal?"

He did not move a muscle, the soft voice echoed into the dark.

"Sir, Premier Zachary has given you temporary control over the anti-personell units." the girl at the door paused. "should we use the third sword?"

With that he grimaced. The last thing he needed was control over the APS, let alone at a time like this. "Continue the defensive as planned. The sword remains hidden."

"Yes, sir." With that she left to relay orders, most likely with dissaproval. Levi's mind wandered to what she had said before. The Section Commander must have disappeared again. Where the hell was he?

Levi froned and turned towards the door, letting his eyes flick over it. The brat had tracked mud into his quarters, disgusting, But the mud wasn't the only thing left behind. A small lpeice of paper fkuttered slightly, caught under the edge of his book.


	2. Cadet Corps part 1

This is it.

Two years after that fateful day, Armin stood in line with dozens of other aspiring children, at the beginning of a long, perilous journey. 

(Perilous, but also fun.)

Shifting his weight from one foot to another, his mind balanced in the precipice between anticipation and terror, a very dangerous place to be. The others' stances had relaxed, eyes had began to wander, mouths began to talk. But not Armin.

The sun glared down like a hissing cat at a whimpering dog, filling the air with a nauseating sense of humidity. The small boy's umcommon stature had ensured he was given a women's uniform - the maroon brown coat pinched at his shoulders, whereas the white shirt sagged at his chest and pinched at his waist. At least the odd leather straps didn't chafe too much.

All of a sudden, the whispers stopped. The stances straightened. Eyes fell forward. An unseen force pulled all idle thoughts away, leaving only an empty void and the wondering that perhaps there was no thoughts to begin with. Clacking of boots echoed off of concrete, the slight swish of a French coat carried along the breeze, until a jaunty looking woman stood in front of them in all her glory. 

Hazelnut eyes flicked from row to row, hands gripping each other at her front. Her round face was pulled back slightly by her tight, crimson braid - which was somehow unaffected by the humid air.a gentle cough, then bellowed words. 

"Good afternoon! I am Commandant Alexa Eisen, my job is to ensure that each of your lives is a living hell for the next three years! If such a thing is possible, you snot-nosed, snivelling little cowards will become fully capable, battle ready soldiers. Atten-tion! "

As Arminstood to attention with uncharacteristic gusto, be suddenly felt a pang of confusion, as ifEisen was in the wrong place. 

(He's still out there, trying to prove he's special.)

" You there, horse face! State your name." Eisen shouted at the first in line. A prim and proper young man, tall and slim with a face so long that Armin almost laughed aloud at the insult.

"Jean Kirchstein from Frost District, ma'am." he saluted, unfazed by the insult except for the flickering doubt on his face.

"And why did you join the Cadet Corps, Kirchstein?"

"To join the Military Police and live life in the interior."

Eisen suddenly frowned. "Your attitude would be admirable, if only it wasn't so stupid." He turned away with absolute uninterest, waving a hand dismissively. "Jeep it up and you won't even survive to find out if you're good enough." 

One recruit left stunned, she turned to the next. The process continued as Armin matched names to faces: Lenz, Springer, Caroline, hopefully some friends mixed up within them. Well, he didn't know the name of the trio in the third row, Eisen didn't spare them a second glance.

(Traitors. Murderers. Honorary Elsians.)

"State your name, shorts tack!" Arminsnapped out of his trance to find the Commandant staring right at him, so close he could count every freckle on her face, if he were so inclined.

"Armin Arlert, Shinganshina District, ma'am!" A clumsy salute gave him a rush of anxiety. How could a woman so average-looking be so terrifying?

"What could a little runt like you possibly want in the military, hm?" He looked at the floor and his cheeks coloured. The insult didn't really catch him off guard, he just took it to heart.

"To... To help contribute to humanity's victory, ma'am." he mumbled.

"Well then, perhaps the garrison could do with a stable boy." She straightened up and looked at him, as if judging his entire person in one moment. All hope drained from him in an instant as she moved away, and he silently cursed himself for his self doubt. Again.

As she moved to the next person, Eisen's eyes drifted toward the back of the crowd, to where a girl casually munched on a steaming hot potato, before glancing at the Commandant, looking left, right, then realising that Eisen was staring at - her-.

"What on Earth are you doing?" Eisen moved slowly towards the girl, who started to fidget nervously. She gulped her mouthful down and performed a military salute - - left hand behind the back, rught hand and potato over the heart in a clenched fist.

"Eating a potato, ma'am. Its quite delicious." the poor girl frowned, as if this was all rather obvious and unnecessary. Eisen's brows furrowed, but Armin spotted the glint in her eye, she was finding this amusing.

"Is that so. Why are you eating in formation?"

"Well, it was getting cold, ma'am."

The officer was befuddled by the child's sheer naivety, Aemin swallowed thickly. He knew exactly what would happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eisen is just a generic oc because the role needed filling lol. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Anyways, have a nice day! -Kudos-


	3. Cadet Corps Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The female, the armour and the queen walk into a Mess Hall...

"So? What do you think?"

"Of what?" Annie turned to Reiner, slurping tasteless broth noisely into her mouth. She was, as ever, completely disinterested.

"The people. You're eating that like a child, it doesnt suit you."

She shot him a withering glance. "They're all the same. Devils. That's it."

Reiner ran a hand through his golden hair, rubbing a few strands of sweat from his clammy hands onto his forehead. The brown cadet coat was tied around his waist - sonething that breached at least twelve uniform policies both here and in Marley - whereas Annie was presented to perfection. As usual. They paused their conversation as a gaggle of gossiping girls glided through. "Yeah. But that'll make getting to Sina a lot easier than we thought."

"Dina seems to have its own regiment. Much more highly trained than the rest of the rest of them." Annie remarked, comparing the quick and alert men bearing sea-green unicorns with the hapless rose wearing footsoldiers in Shinganshina. "They almost caught me when I tried to sneak in. Perhaps only the highest ranked get in?"

"That's right. The top ten are the only ones that get the opportunity." A third voice echoed and sat down next to them. One of the passing girls from earlier, Reiner noticed. A short girl with the prettiest blonde hair and deepest blue eyes he'd ever seen, and a face so angelive that he thought he might burst into flames. Well, his face was about too. "I'm Christa. It's nice to meet you!"

"Right. U-Um, the names Reiner. This is Annie."

"Can you explain the regiments you were talking about?" Annie asked nonchalantly and Reiner shot her a questioning look, to which she shrugged as if to say, 'who cares?'

"Um, well there's the Garrison Regiment, whose job is to defend the walls and look after the citizens in Rose. The there's the Military Police who'd usually guard the Royal Family: only the top ten get in, like I said, but if you join you can live in the Interior." Christa paused and swung her legs, for they didn't quite reach the ground.

" So if you don't make it into the Military Police, you join the Garrison? "

" Well, there's one more regiment, but it's so dangerous that nobody chooses it."

Reiner perked up in curiosity. "Really? What is it?"

"The Survey Corps. They're the ones that protect us from the rest of humanity. They fight the titans head and usually give their lives for it. Only patriotic or suicidal people join." She thought about her choice of words. "At least, that's what everyone says. In my eyes they're heroes."

From this one girl alone, Annie already had a map of the army in her mind. The garrison could be ignored, Survey Corps avoided, and Military Police exploited. But if an entire regiment were trained to find and slaughter titans... This could be a problem. 

(Historia's a loudmouth, and naive to boot. There's only one secret she's willing to keep.)

"Historia." Annie mumbled.

"E-Eh?" She stared at Annie, who stared right back. Silence reigned for a few more moments before Christa sat back and grinned. "Anyways, ill see you tomorrow. Good luck, Annie!"

As Christa stood and left the Mess Hall, Reiner raised an eyebrow at Annie inquisitvely. She glared at him as he put two and two together then began to speak his thoughts. "Christa isn't Chrusta. She's Historia. But what reason would she have to lie about her name?"

Annie huffed and went back to slurping. "Who cares. Where's Bertholdt?"

"Peeing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick one. Really wanted to write something with Annie in so....
> 
> Honestly I have so much free time in lock down, it's fun!
> 
> Remember to stay safe and have a fantabulous day!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Remember to have a fantabulous day! 
> 
> Sasageyo kudos uwu


End file.
